Recently, a variety of long-range and short-range vehicles have been distributed.
Examples of the vehicles include bicycles that are propelled to ride in response to the pedaling of riders and motorcycles or cars that are driven using fossil fuels or electricity.
Also provided are upright three-wheeled vehicles that operate using electrical power to transport an upright rider in a simple manner. An example thereof was disclosed in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 20-0283894.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are perspective and side-elevation views illustrating an upright three-wheeled vehicle of the related art. As illustrated in these figures, the upright three-wheeled vehicle 10 of the related art includes rear wheel parts 20, a footboard part 30, a handlebar part 40, and a single front wheel part 50. The rear wheel parts 20 are disposed on both sides such that the rear wheel parts 20 face each other. The footboard part 30 is disposed between the rear wheel parts 20, allowing a user to stand thereon in an upright position. The handlebar part 40 is connected to the footboard part 30, and is grasped by the user in the upright position. The front wheel part 50 is connected to the handlebar part 40 such that the front wheel part 50 is steered in the lateral direction. The front wheel part 50 is disposed in a position corresponding to the middle of the rear wheels.
When the user standing in an upright position on the footboard part 30 starts the upright three-wheeled vehicle and operates the levers, the front wheel part 50 and the rear wheel parts 20 operate, causing the vehicle to travel. In this state, the user drives the vehicle to an intended place by controlling the traveling direction by turning the handlebar part 40 in the lateral direction.
However, in the upright three-wheeled vehicle 10 of the related art, the footboard part on which the rider stands in the upright position is directly connected to a frame that surrounds the rear wheels. Shocks from the road during traveling are delivered to the footboard part without being properly absorbed.
Specifically, when the rider on the upright three-wheeled vehicle 10 of the related art travels over a road having irregular surfaces, such as a dirt road, or hits a hole or a raised spot, the rear wheel parts suddenly or quickly move up and down. Shocks caused by such upward and downward motions are delivered to the footboard part without being absorbed. The shocks are subsequently delivered to the rider standing on the footboard in the erected position, causing an excessive load to the joint, the waist, and the like of the rider. There are worries in that such excessive loads may be harmful to the health of the rider or injure the rider.
In addition, there are problems in that such shocks significantly decrease ride quality, thereby lowering customer satisfaction and causing the rider to get tired easily.